5

There were many questions that Lin Kai wanted to ask, but at the moment, he kept quiet. He was going to observe first before making any comments. Since there were many things that he had no clue about, the best thing at this moment was to gather as much information as possible, even if it was something completely irrelevant. 

It didn't take long before the two of them arrived in front of a large building. With two marble pillars with beasts drawn on them that Lin Kai had never seen before, the building had a large open hall instead of rooms. 

Perhaps due to the nighttime, there were only a handful of people inside. Han Ji made his way towards the nearest counter. After reaching there, he pulled out a token before handing it to the woman on the counter.

"....." The woman didn't speak anything but signaled him to follow her. 

"It's going to take a while here. You can either wait here or have a look around." Speaking to Lin Kai who was looking around absent-minded, Han Ji spoke further "If you do decide to roam around, don't go much further, and meet me back here in two hours at least."

"Hmm..." Though Lin Kai didn't know what Han Ji was doing he kept quiet. In his mind, he already had an idea about what kind of person this man was. 

"Looks like I am not the only one keeping a secret." Looking at Han Ji's departing back, Lin Kai narrowed his eyes. There was no need for someone like Han Ji to talk to someone like Lin Kai, much less bringing with him. 

"The question is... Why me?" The more Lin Kai thought about it, the more confused he got. In the end, the only thing he could do was shake his head before walking away. 

Though he wanted to know more about this so-called beast shop, he doubted anyone inside the hall was interested in talking to him.

In the end, he walked out of the hall. 

"Let's just check a bookstore." This was the first thought that came to his mind. If he wanted to have more information, then the best place would undoubtedly be the bookstore. 

Lin Kai wandered around for a while, but in the end, he failed to find any bookstore. 

"Hey, where can I find books to read?" Helplessly, Lin Kai could only ask the old man walking on the side of the road. 

"...." The old man didn't reply immediately but looked at Lin Kai with a frown. It was only after seeing his robe that he shook his head before speaking in a calm voice. "There is only one bookstore here and it is in the middle of the city."

After a brief pause, he spoke again "And it only opens from morning till the sunset."

Without waiting for Lin Kai to speak further, the old man shook his head before walking away, leaving Lin Kai speechless.

"Damn it." Lin Kai tried to speak with a few other people after this, but the moment they saw his robe, they would wrinkle their noses before walking away. 

"...." Helplessly after roaming for a bit, Lin Kai found himself back in front of the Beast shop. 

"Let's just buy something." After failing to gain any information, Lin Kai focused on his second objective. He didn't have any idea what he was going to buy. 

Making up his mind, Lin Kai walked forward. But before he could even walk for a few meters, a young man, not much older than himself arrived in front of him with a smile. 

"?" The first thought that came to Lin Kai's mind was that he was getting robbed. But he doubted that anyone would rob him in the middle of the market in front of so many people. 

Before he could think further, the young man spoke first. 

"Hey there, do you need any help?"

It was a very polite and gentle tone. As if the young man in front of him was a professional. 

At first, Lin Kai wanted to reject him, but after thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement. "And how exactly can you help me?"

While speaking, Lin Kai observed the man in front of him. Judging by his face, the man seemed to be in his mid-twenties, with coarse, but clean clothes and a well-maintained figure. 

"I heard you asking about the bookstore. And judging by your clothes and looks, I have a feeling that you wanted to know more about some interesting subjects.

Now... now... I can help you with that. Can't give you the books of course, but I can help you answer the questions." 

As the young man spoke with a wretched smile, he raised his left hand before rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "For a price of course."

"And how exactly do I know that you are telling the truth?" Though Lin Kai needed information, he wouldn't just trust anyone blindly.

"...." As if stunned by this question, the man suddenly let out a gentle laugh. After laughing for a while, he reached inside his robe before pulling out the necklace he was wearing. It was a small bowl which was seemingly made out of gold. 

"I am a member of the Golden Bowl Gang. You can come to our headquarters if you don't trust me." 

Lin Kai still wasn't sure. On one hand, he didn't know anything about the so-called Golden Bowl Gang, while on the other, he didn't want to follow a stranger. 

"Forget it." As if seeing through Lin Kai's thoughts, the young man shook his head "How about this... I will answer three of your questions. But after that... You need to pay."

"Okay." The moment the man finished speaking, Lin Kai agreed immediately. It didn't matter whether the man was telling the complete truth or not, he just needed to verify a few things.

"Before that." The young man stopped Lin Kai who was seemingly excited to ask the questions. "Let us introduce ourselves first."

"I am a member of the Golden Bowl Gang, Chen Tao." 

"My name is Lin Kai." Lin Kai replied with a nod. 

"Well then, go on... ask me your first question."The moment Chen Tao finished speaking, Lin Kai hesitated for a moment before asking his first question. 

"Is there a way for the servants of the Cai family to gain their freedom?" This was what he wanted to know. 

"I wouldn't call them servants." Chen Tao looked at Lin Kai with a smile while scanning his robe from top to bottom. "They are more like slaves."

"As for the question...

Yes, there are various ways." After speaking this sentence, Chen Tao went silent. 

Lin Kai waited for a while for him to speak further, but looking at his face which had a wide smile, he narrowed his eyes. 

"At least finish the sentence." Gritting his teeth, Lin Kai spoke.

"You asked if there was a way, and I told you there was." Chen Tao still had a smile on his face. "If you want to know what those ways are, you need to ask me about them."

Listening to him, Lin Kai shook his head "And you wanted me to pay for answers like these?"

"Oh no!" Before Lin Kai could even finish speaking, Chen Tao shook his head. "Let's just say... there are limits to free trials."

"Okay then...

Go on. Please do tell me about the ways that a servant can be free." Lin Kai asked his second question.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Tao crossed his arms together as he began to speak. 

"Well, there are several ways this is possible. 

The first one is the easiest. If the servant has a talent for martial arts, then he can join the family as a direct member. Of course, they can choose to join other families or any martial arts hall too. 

The second one is similar to the first one but a bit difficult. If the servant doesn't have any talent in martial arts, then they can try their talents in beast master. If they can form a contract with a beast, then they can naturally join any big family. 

And as for the third and final one... It is entirely based upon luck." 

Speaking till here, Chen Tao went silent for a long time before speaking further.

"If the servant is matched with a girl on the Stele, then he will naturally be free."

Listening to the man, the number of questions in Lin Kai's mind only increased instead of decreasing. He wanted to ask about everything but he suppressed his curiosity. Now he can only ask one free question. 

Taking a deep breath, Lin Kai asked his final free question. "How can we test for martial arts talent and beast master talent?"

As if expecting this question, the man smiled while pointing towards the Beast Hall behind Lin Kai.

"Well, the age for testing martial arts talent is only after one turns fourteen. As for the beastmaster talent, it can be tested at any age. 

Since the nearest Martial Arts hall is seventy miles from here, they decided to put both talent-testing stones inside the Beast hall. 

You can go and check both of your talents there." He took a brief pause and spoke further. "At a price of course."

Lin Kai's breathing stopped for a moment as his eyes constantly moved from Chen Tao to the Beast Hall and vice-versa.

There was some hesitation on his face but it only lasted for a moment before he gritted his teeth. "Wait for a moment. I still need some answers."

"Of course, dear sir. Of course." Chen Tao was expecting this reaction from Lin Kai. This was not the first case that someone like Lin Kai asked him such questions. 

He had seen numerous people like the boy in front of him who had high hopes and dreams. They all consider themselves to be the lucky ones. Hoping that they might make it. 

But unfortunately for them, such a thing almost never happened. Throughout his years of working here, he had never seen someone who had talent in either martial arts or beast master. 

And yet, even after knowing this, Chen Tao still stood in front of the Beast Hall, silently staring at the back of Lin Kai with a smile while thinking about something.

"Hey... I need to test my talents in Martial Arts and Beast Master." By now, even the remaining people inside the Beast Hall were gone. Other than one man dozing off at the counter in the corner, there wasn't another single soul in sight. 

"Ugh..." As Lin Kai knocked on the counter, the man who was dozing off opened his eyes reluctantly. After looking at Lin Kai, he scoffed before closing his eyes again.

"Hey... How much do I need to pay to test my talents?" Even though he had saved two silvers or two hundred coppers, Lin Kai was still not sure about the cost of testing. 

Even if the test cost more than two silver, he would still find a way to make up for the difference. After all, this was related to his future in this world.

"Ugh." The man at the counter grunted in displeasure again before waving his hand in front of Lin Kai. "Just touch those stones in the corner. The red one is for the martial art and the blue one is for the beast master. 

If they glow then you have talent, if not, then get the hell out of here."

Stunned, Lin Kai looked at the man who was almost in deep sleep before nodding his head. He was prepared to pay a hefty sum of money, but to his pleasant surprise, he was given a chance for free.

Blessing the man in his heart, Lin Kai walked towards the red stone as fast as he could, afraid that the man would wake up and change his mind.

Without waiting for anything, he raised his hand before touching the stone.

"......"

"......."

"........"

Even after touching for a few seconds, the stone didn't glow in the slightest. 

Frustrated, Lin Kai put the other hand on the stone too, hoping to make a difference. 

"....."

Alas! It didn't matter if had put one hand or two. The stone didn't emit any glow. 

"Sigh." With a heavy sigh, Lin Kai walked towards the blue stone. This was his only hope. 

Standing in front of the blue stone, Lin Kai didn't immediately put his hands on it but took a deep breath.

Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly before raising both his hands and placing them simultaneously on the stone. 

"...."

"..."

"....."

"Nothing..."

Looking at the stone, Lin Kai let out a helpless sigh as he walked back before looking around aimlessly. 

Lin Kai was finding it hard to describe his emotions at this time. Living in this world for more than thirty days, he had always hoped to come in contact with the extraordinary powers at play here. And today he was successful in it too. 

But unfortunately, his journey ended before it even began. 

.

.

Walking out of the Beast Hall, Lin Kai's gaze stopped at Chen Tao who was still standing there with a smile on his face. 

It was as if he had expected this result in advance, he walked towards Lin Kai slowly. 

"I assume it didn't go well." Even though it was obvious, Chen Tao still spoke with a smile.

"Uh..."

Seeing no reply from Lin Kai, Chen Tao nodded before moving close to Lin Kai. It wasn't until both of them were facing each other that he spoke softly, almost in a whisper.

"There is no need to lose hope. Just for people like you, who have no talents, I have another way."

"I give this option to every single servant who has tested his talents. And I will offer you the same too."

Taking a breath, he spoke softly. "Ten gold coins and I will offer you a way to gain strength, regardless of your talent."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped back before walking away while waving his hand. "You know where to find me."

Lin Kai looked at his departing back silently. There were a lot of thoughts running through his head. When he agreed to come to the city with Han Ji, he didn't expect to encounter this many things. But now that he knew so much in such a short amount of time, he needed some time to digest all this information before coming up with a plan. 

With Chen Tao's voice still echoing in his ears, Lin Kai made his way toward the nearest herb shop. Since he needed to make money, he might as well start from some place.